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Topic: V. Mite Issue (Read 12428 times)

I have hygenic bees. One of the benefits is they carry out the dead . I inspect these fallen soldiers and have noticed some verroa related issues. Specifically, a few bees are "lace winged" and short abdomened(making up words again!) I treated in fall for mites. Do I wait to later in the spring to treat again, or do it now? Additionally, when using mineral oil for IPM, do you spray directly on the bees, or leave a few drops on top of the frame bars? should this be done during the summer too?

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"The more complex the Mind, the Greater the need for the simplicity of Play".

at this time of the year, could you pick a warmer day and do the powdered sugar thing? would that help until spring when you could use apiguard or something? how bad are the mites? can it just wait until spring? isn't the mite breeding cycle broken in winter with no brood?

interesting stuff and i'd like to hear the answers also.

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I had a bad mite problem but i was told to get some apilife-var from brushy mountain and put it around the brood are and do three treatments and boy did i see a big change in this hive they built up more for winter and stored more then my other hives. I have not see any more dfw bees and they are out before my other two hives are and they don't mine the cold weather.

I have hygenic bees. One of the benefits is they carry out the dead . I inspect these fallen soldiers and have noticed some verroa related issues. Specifically, a few bees are "lace winged" and short abdomened(making up words again!) I treated in fall for mites. Do I wait to later in the spring to treat again, or do it now? Additionally, when using mineral oil for IPM, do you spray directly on the bees, or leave a few drops on top of the frame bars? should this be done during the summer too?

A) If brood are not much you may take them away and destroy. Then give trickling. For next summer you have clean colony.

>at this time of the year, could you pick a warmer day and do the powdered sugar thing?

You could.

You may do everything what others advice. Now it is winter and bees shuold be in peace.

When you look official mite destruction advices, powdered sugar is not on list. What is the fuction? If there are brood, sugar does not help. To pour sugar onto wintering cluster, is good idea? To calculate mites, it does not help.

Well, you can't use apilife var unless the temps are high enough, which yours aren't. About the only thing you can do right now is oxalic trickling, but I think you should first find out what your count is before you treat with anything.

You see all kinds of stuff with the dead soldiers outside, I would wait until they are flying and leave them in peace for now.

To answer a few questions. I treated w/ mite-away. The pollinator I purchased the hive from suggested this. I understand that FGMO is a reduction method, but wanted to know how to apply. The fogger mentioned, please describe this equipment. I may switch to small cell. As for what to treat the hive w/, thats the advice I need. What and when do I do a treatment of any kind? Since I noticed the issue I didn't want to wait w/o asking these questions before its too late.thanx.

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"The more complex the Mind, the Greater the need for the simplicity of Play".

Finsky, I looked at the drone method that you put in as a link. Very interesting. I would like to obtain that book "the weekend beekeeper", sounds like a good book.

I wonder why the O.A. treatment is not pushed more with beekeepers. It is so simple and when there is no brood present (or in small numbers), as in wintertime? Why don't people just do this? don't get it why. Great day. Cindi

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There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold. The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold. The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee. Robert Service

FINSKY- you amaze me. You looked up my weather! Yes it is cold here today, and we expect soem more cold. This is the first real cold weather we have had. It has been as warm as 62F last week. Thats why my bees have been raisng brood, flying, returning w/ pollen. I think thats why I now have some mite issues too.

Cindi- I think oxalic acid is illegal here in the states. It is available as wood bleach, but I dont know how to mix a batch up and administer. Also, will it ruin screened bottom boards since its anj acid?

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"The more complex the Mind, the Greater the need for the simplicity of Play".

Konasdad. I cannot comment about the legality of the acid, nor if it will ruin the screened bottomboard. Await replies from other members that are outside of my Canada. It is not illegal here, has been approved. Sorry, cannot help. Great day. Cindi

Yes, Finksy is amazing!!! He googled my location and sent me a satellite view of the mountains, deltas and surrounding area. It was very impressive and pretty looking. C.

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There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold. The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold. The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee. Robert Service

Oxalic acid trickling is very new everywhere. Italian researcher developed it eventually.

Trickling is just best, when it is cold outside. Other methods are as good but they cannot used when it is cold outside. On another hand, trickling makes worse result than mites if you give that during brood.

Wait that weather is continuously better. Mites cannot kill bees at once. Most of mites are under brood cappings. If you find handfull of wingless bees in front of entrance that is a little bit bad situation but not final. I have had that many times.

Thymol based stuff are good during brood time but they need about +15C / +20C temperature by day.

I was considering doing an oxalyic trickle, just to help out. I removed one bottom screen, and found a few mites, so I thought about it, but wasn't so sure about the damage of lifting lid and exposing them to cold, disrupting the cluster. I would rather not have to treat with anything closer to spring to avoid hurting brood or queens. Our temps here are -1 and hovering around there most week.

I was considering doing an oxalyic trickle, just to help out. I removed one bottom screen, and found a few mites, so I thought about it, but wasn't so sure about the damage of lifting lid and exposing them to cold, disrupting the cluster. I would rather not have to treat with anything closer to spring to avoid hurting brood or queens. Our temps here are -1 and hovering around there most week.

Steve, in our fall management course at the Honeybee Centre, John told us that we should do our oxalic trickle ON DECEMBER 1. If many of the beekeepers in our area did this treatment AT THE SAME TIME OR CLOSE then the varroa problem would be minimized in our locality. But it is unlikely that this was followed through with everyone, of course. But that is life.

Oxalic acid is trickled when there is no brood or minimal brood present. It will kill brood. that is why it is done when it is COLD outside.

Finsky has advised to let the bees be in peace during the winter cluster time. I believe that he is right. If you saw mites when you removed the bottom screen, then you probably will definitely be needing to treat. I would think that there are quite a few. But please, do not think that my word is gospel, that is only an impression I get with this dreadful bloodsucker.

If you feel that you want to treat now, I would put the question out there on the forum whether to drizzle over the cluster. The small amount that is drizzled is too small to chill the bees. You only have the inner cover off for less than a minute to drizzle, so I don't think that the bees would be overly chilled.

I would think though, that maybe you could wait for a little longer. As far as I understand the varroa requires brood to live inside the cell to feed. So, the problem I see is that when the brood begins to be laid by the queen (and I think that can be happening pretty soon around here Steve), then these varroa will enter the cell and then the new babies will be born deformed and useless because of the destruction the mite does to the brood in their cell.

I don't know. Why don't you ask Ron, or call John at the Honeybee Centre to see if you should trickle NOW before brood rearing begins. We must ask questions to understand and take care of our bees properly.

Notice our weather today is +6 celsuis? We are not in that cold stuff that we were in even yesterday.

Hope that your question will be answered and I may have offered some insight. Great day. Cindi

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There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold. The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold. The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee. Robert Service